This invention relates to auger-type ice making machines used in a commercial setting, which produce flaked or chipped ice. Ice is formed by water freezing on the inner wall of a hollow cylindrical freezing chamber. A rotatable ice auger, sized to enable the scraping of ice off the inner surface of the freezing cheer, conveys the flaked ice toward the axial end of the freezing chamber whereby the flaked ice is compressed into a rigid mass of ice which is subsequently severed into discrete, generally uniform chunks of ice.
The present invention is directed toward a new and improved auger-type ice making machine which produces higher quality, denser flaked ice as compared to prior art equipment. Through the combined use of a plurality of axial grooves on the inner wall of the ice forming chamber and a knurling pattern on the top surface of the auger, denser, more uniform and clearer ice is produced.